How to Identify the Best Resume Keywords and Use Them to Support Your Job Search

How to Identify the Best Keywords and Use Them to Support Your Job Search

Keywords have been a major part of how search engines like Google find the websites that you are looking for. With more resumes being submitted over the Internet, resume keywords have become an important part of your job search. There are many programs that companies use to scan resumes that are submitted, so a human does not need to take hours looking at resumes to find the people who are going too interviewed.

Along with submitting your resume online, you should also have resume keywords on your social media pages like Google Plus and LinkedIn. There are many recruiters and managers who use these platforms to find qualified candidates to contact for interviews.

If your resume and social media page do not have the right resume keywords, you are invisible. This is true, no matter how qualified you are for the job.

What Are Resume Keywords?

Keywords are the words that we type into a search engine to find information and websites. LinkedIn and resume screening programs allow employers and recruiters to search all the resumes for keywords and will only pull up resumes that have those terms.

Many people believe that resume keywords are the ‘buzzwords’ or industry jargon used by professional insiders. That is not the case. Most of the time, you can find resume keywords in the job description and job requirements. Resume keywords should be worded the same way that is in the job description because a recruiter will be looking for these exact keywords.

Developing Your Resume Keywords

To create your own set of resume keywords, you can use a major job website like Indeed.com, or you can use the target employer’s website. Take the time to look for unique terms and job or industry specific words that are used. You should also look at the job requirements to make sure that you have picked the right job. There are various ways that you can use your resume keywords. Most programs are designed to find similar keywords, but the specific keywords will always appear first.

The Different Categories of Resume Keywords

There are different categories of resume keywords. Your name is one of the most important categories of keywords. This is how a company is going to find more information about you, so it should be consistent. This makes verifying information about you simple and makes you look more professional.

Specific industry resume keywords are also very important, and they are usually harder to come up with. Many times, these types of resume keywords can be found by looking at your target job’s requirements and adding the skills that you already have to your resume.

The way you use resume keywords is very important because your resume could be penalized for using too many keywords. Recruiters know that people are starting to use resume keywords and notice when you “keyword stuff” your resume. So, you should only use the same resume keywords a few times in your resume. Plus, I always recommend that you read your resume out loud to yourself before you finalize and submit it. If it doesn’t read well because you have too many keywords, then remove some keywords until it sounds professional and appropriate. Also, make sure that you have customized both your cover letter and resume for EACH job. Take the time to optimize your keywords for each online application you submit to ensure you have the highest chances of getting the interview. That is the best way to use keywords to assist your job search efforts.